DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS: REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE MUNICIPAL FLEET

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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS:
REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE MUNICIPAL FLEET

Problem Identification:The City’s fleet of vehicles is larger than necessary to ensure the delivery of municipal services to the public.

Recommended Action:Reduce the size of the City’s automotive fleet by minimizing vehicle ‘take-home’ privileges, creating departmental and interdepartmental vehicle pools, and promoting the use of personal vehicles.

Barriers to Implementation:Strong reluctance by departments to relinquish fleet assets.

Next Steps:Starting with the largest departmental fleets, systematically audit operational needs and current vehicle usage patterns. Identify underutilized assets, establish guidelines governing the granting of vehicle ‘take-home’ privileges, create departmental and interdepartmental motor pools, and encourage the expanded use of personal vehicles.

Analysis:The City has limited ability to report the total number of vehicles in the municipal fleet. Estimates place the number at approximately 6,000. Both City personnel and members of the project team believe that between 500 – 1,000 vehicles could be removed from the existing fleet without negative operational impacts. There is also strong sentiment that this consitutes a conservative range that could be expanded once data related to the total number of vehicles, their age, condition, and mileage is gathered and analyzed.

In addition to taking old and poorly maintained vehicles out of service, further reductions could be achieved by evaluating the necessity of vehicle ‘take-home’ privileges for City personnel and the instituting of shared motor pools.